Engine-starter and generator.



T. R. DU BOIS.

ENGINE STARTER AND GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. I9I5.

1,288,847. Patmed Dec. 24,1918.

llllllllllllll IIII n IIIIIIIII IUPIII l 'STATES 'PATENT FFlCE.4

THOMAS R. DU BOIS, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 U. S. LIGHT & HEAT CORPORATION, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEV YORK, A

CORPORATION 0F NEW' YORK.

ENGINE-STARTER AND GENERATOR.

Application filed March 4, 1915. Serial No, 11,978.

To all whom it may conc-ern:

v Be it known that I, THOMAS R. DU Bols,

a citizenof the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters and Generators, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawin forming a part of this specification.

his invention relates to engine starters and generators and with regard to certain more specific features thereof, to engine starters and generators having mechanical power transmitting devices between the dynamo-electric machine or machines and the en ne.

t is one of the objects of the invention to provide a starting and generating system which is simple, reliable and very compact.

Another object is tol provide a silently operating apparatus of the above set forth l character.

Still another object lies in the provision of reliable and compact speed reducing means and automatically operating power transmission interrupting means.

Other objects will be in par-t obvious and in art pointed out hereinafter.

n the accompanylng drawings wherein is ments of the invention- Figure 1 is a schematic view of a starter and generator. l l

Fig. 2 is a sectional view lof the same, showing'the structural details.

The apparatus set forth in the present e1n- V bodiment includesa motor unit 1, a generator unit .2, power transmitting devices 3 between these units, comprising a system of planetary gearing 4, associated with the shaft 5 of the motor unit, an overrunning clutch 6 associated with the shaft 7 of the generator unit, and suitable power transmitting devices 8 connecting the shaft 7 of the generator with the crank shaft 9 of an internal combustion engine, indicated at 10.

A storage battery 11 is arranged in an elec' trical circuit with the' two dynamo-electric units, and by means yof a starting switch 12, the motor unit 1 is energized from the storage battery and provides the power for the initial turning or cranking of the engine,

aftenwhich the starting switch may be Specification of Letters Patent.

the power transmitting devices.

Patented Deefae, 1918.

' 13, is employed for the purpose of cutting the generator inte and out of circuit. The motor unit 1 has a series eld winding 14 and the generator unit 2 has a series ield winding 15 and a shunt field winding 16.

Fig. 2 shows the mechanical structure and it will be noted that both units are conveniently supported and compactly arranged within a housing indicated generally at 17. This housing comprises the caps 18 and 19 which .support and incase the commutator ends of the motor 1 and the generator 2 respectively. are also partially supported by the caps 18 and 19 andare further Supported by the substantially cylindrical body portions 2O and 21 of the casing. These latter portions are inwardly flanged at 22 and 23 respectively to provide supports for the anti-friction bearings 24 and 25. Attached to the bodies 20 and'21 ofthe housing is a hood 36 composed of several parts suitably connected to incase This hood is shown'in the drawings as extending beyond both' of 'the sprockets on the generator shaft, but obviously the same might be carried on to incase the sprocket. on the crank shaft of the engine.

The several'parts ofthe housing 17 are connected together to provide a strong and unitary structure and as the dynamo-electric units are arranged one over the other, the device is compact, while, atV the same time, a comparatively great speed reduction is obtained by the planetary gearing system which will now be described.

Supported bythe body portion 20 and in ixed relation therewith, is lan internal gear 27, the teeth of which are adapted to mesh` with the teeth of `a plurality of planetary gears 28. Each of the planetary gears 28 is loosely mounted on a stud. shaft- 29 and each stud shaft 1s in turn fixed to a sprocket 30.

`The sprocket 30 1s journaled in an'anti-fric- The'field yokes of both units s teeth of this pinion are adapted to mesh with v the teeth of the planetary gears 28. .As the thegshaft 7, is a clutch element 37.

35 through the medium of clutch rollers 38.

v When the 'motor 1 furnishes the power, the

sprocket 35 is driven at a comparatively, low rate of speed and being provided with interior Cain faces 39, it wedges the clutch rollers 38 into driving engagement with the clutch element 37 and causes rotation lof the generator shaft. -A driving sprocket 40 is fixed upon the generator shaft, or parts directly connected therewith, and isconnectedl by al silent chain 41 to a sprocket 42 on the crank shaft 9 ofthe engine..

In the operationof the device, closure of the starting switch 12 includes the battery 11 in circuit with `the motor unit, the latter is energized and drives through Ithe planetary gearing to the sprocket 30. This drives the larger sprocket 35, causes engagement of the different parts of the clutch, rotates the generator shaft at a comparatively low: speed, and through the chain and sprocket connections described, turns over the crank shaft of the. engine. Compression and ignition will take place and the engine will be actuated by its own power to drive the generator shaft at a much higher speed than that imparted to it bythe motor 1. This causes the clutch element 37 to rotate at a greater speed than the sprocket 35'a'nd the clutch rollers 38 will recede from the cam faces 39, thereby. interrupting the trans` mission.l When the starting switch 12 is opened, the motor 1 will become idle.

The details "of the automatic switch 13 arenot a part of the presentl invention. No regulating means, other than the winding 15, is

disclosed, but it will be obvious that the generator 2 may be regulated to conne its output within proper limits.

As many apparently widely different embodiments ofy the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter con- :live cents each, by Washington, D. G."

tained in the above description orl shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In an engine starter and generator, 1n

combination, a motor, a generator, power- 'mitting relation, and means on said generator shaft whereby the same may be driven from an internal combustion engine.

2. In anengine starter and generator, in coinbination'ya i-notor, a: generator, powertransmitting4 means between said motor and said generator including a pinion fixed with the motor shaft, a stationary internal gear arranged to encircle said shaft, a planetl gear coperat-ively arranged between said internal gear and said pinion, a sprocket supported to rotate with said planet gear having its. rotative axis out of alinementv with the axis of said planet gear, a sprocket loosely mounted on the generator shaft, a clutch element fixed with the generator shaft, coperative clutch elements adapted to connect the loosely mounted sprocket and the first said clutch element in power transmitting relation, and means on said generator shaft whereby the same may be driven from an in-l ternal combustion engine, said clutch elements being adapted to automatically interrupt-the translnisison of power from the generator to the motor upon the development of a certain speed of the generator shaft.

In witness whereof, Ifliave hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witn nesses.

THOMAS R. DU sors.

Witnesses:

Jnssn P. HoL'roN, V. QUILLINAN.

addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, 

